riven words

Next stop, Kingston Bay

These are a couple of boathouses along the winding Jones River in Kingston, Mass. They once made for a nice launch and hauling-up for small boats. A few years ago, MLB Restorations rehabbed the house to the east.

One house is closer to Kingston Bay, the other to its source in Silver Lake.

Now, we’ve come to work on her westerly sister.

The truth is in there.

It’s a simple structure, built in the early part of the last century. Sills, plates, shingles, doors and windows are all on the menu.

There were also external distractions, like the commuter train rolling through Kingston a few hundred feet down river.

Pret and I agreed that we liked the sound of the passing train. It’s a TRAIN, after all! Also, it took so long for the south shore to be connected via rail to Boston that it’s a reminder of a victory for more efficient people-moving.

While we were taking out sashes and window frames…

…we saw evidence of hand-work. Below is a rough-trimming of a window opening with what appears to have been a hatchet, complete with stop cuts:

It’s nice to think that in the early part of the 20th c., hatchets were still part of a carpenter’s tool kit.

The phragmites, though invasive, are nice enough to look at this time of year.

And the staccato announcements of a territorial kingfisher reminded us of why this area and its history are worth preserving.